Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Just a quick post from my family vacation here on The Big Island of Hawaii ...
I LOVE Hawaii.
I love its beauty, history, culture and people. I especially love the sense of community you find everywhere you go. The spirit of Aloha and respect for faith, family and the land are values we get to experience simultaneously firsthand in the islands.
I am posting a photo of our 3 children who never got to meet their Aunt Michelle, the lady behind Michelle's Place, because we lost her way too early to breast cancer. Now her spirit helps women and their families as they battle breast cancer. 
Bill & Marilyn Watson, my children's grandparents and Michelle's parents, are also in the photo. They founded Michelle's Place during a time when they could have easily succumbed to the grief of losing their youngest daughter at 26 years old.
The other gentleman is my children's other grandfather, Carl Grassi, Jr., my dad. We lost my mom less than four months ago to MDS turned Leukemia brought on by chemotherapy from breast cancer.  I am so glad he joined us for this vacation.  He has been through so much for the past several years.
I am so glad they all found a rainbow together...they are my pot of gold.
Aloha.
Learn more about Michelle's Place at www.michellesplace.org

Thank you, Cathy & Bridget Regan

I want to use this post to share with you an email that we received this week. Bridget Regan did an admirable thing...she raised money to help women detect breast cancer early. Yes, people do that every day. As Michelle's sister-in-law who has watched Michelle's Place grow from Michelle's original idea as we brainstormed on her futon, I think it is pretty darn special when someone with the power of celebrity status takes the time to support us and propel us even further with not only money but exposure. Follow Bridget on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BridgetRegan

THANK YOU, Cathy and Bridget for your support. We are humbled and grateful. We appreciate your donation and helping us spread the word about Michelle's Place and our mission. We cannot wait to meet you!

Thank you, Dr. Rose! We appreciate your recommendation and your continued support.

Here is Cathy's email:

My name is Cathy Regan and in March 2012 I was diagnosed with stage 1
breast cancer, found through a routine mammogram. I feel so fortunate that
my cancer was caught at an early stage. My treatment was six weeks of
radiation and no chemo.

My daughter, Bridget Regan, is a television actress. She wanted to raise
some money to help other women detect their cancer early like I did. So
she decided to auction an item from her television series LEGEND OF THE
SEEKER on ebay. She raised nearly $2000 which she has sent Michelle'sPlace.

Bridget wanted me to choose the charity. My radiation oncologist, Dr. Mary Anne Rose, told me about Michelle's Place. After looking over your website
and reviewing your programs I chose Michelle's Place. I was very moved by
Michelle's story, the dedication of her parents and family, and the help
you are offering women with cancer and their families.

I live in Carlsbad and someday hope to head on up to Temecula to meet some
of the wonderful people at Michelle's Place . Thank you for all you do and
know my daughter's donation will be put to great use.

Sincerely,
Cathy Regan

Recipe: Delectable Onion Dip

At Michelle's Place, we schedule Educational Seminars throughout the year that are open to all and FREE. If you are local to the Temecula area (in California), watch our calendar of events. If not, we have an online video series of Educational Seminars for everyone.

Is there a better time for eating fresh food grown locally, even from your own garden, than summer? With the 4th of July just 2 days away, I have a delectable Onion Dip recipe with you that Tina and Shari from Crows Pass Farm shared with us at Michelle's Place. We were licking the sample cups clean!

Note: I know not everyone has access to Temecula Cane Onions so I tried green onions and this was tasty too!

Onion Dip
1 Cup Non-fat, Plain Greek style yogurt
1 bunch "Temecula Cane Onion"
½ Lemon
Salt to taste
Pepper (Regular or I like to use the smoked pepper from Old Town Spice Merchant)


Cut onions and sauté until soft and beginning to carmelize.
Juice the lemon and finely chop the lemon peel, add chopped lemon peel to the onions to cook a little.
Season with salt to taste.
Take off heat and let cool.
Put yogurt into a bowl; add juice of  ½ lemon, the cooked onions and lemon peel.
Pepper to taste.
You can also add some fresh chopped onions to add more flavor.
This recipe is flexible so adjust to your taste!

Happy 4th of July and Happy Birthday, America!!